Libby Hernandez

If you are planning on building a new home, you will have likely come across a range of different options for floor plans. A home floor plan is a drawing that shows an overhead view of a house and highlights the relationships between the rooms and spaces.

Key Characteristics of Good Floor Plans

A good floor plan is the foundation for a well-designed home that is a joy to live in. Choosing wisely means there will be great solar gain (or shade in warmer climates), good flow between spaces, and noise management, and it is likely to increase your home’s resale value.

A good floor plan should:

Be versatile and flexible

Versatility might not be something you consider when planning your dream home. However, choosing a floor plan with flexible spaces means that an office space could easily be converted into a bedroom or vice versa. This is particularly important if you are planning on selling in the future or if you change your mind about the layout of your home.

Have a highly-considered room configuration

For optimal flow and enjoyment, rooms should work together. Bedrooms should be far away from entertainment spaces, bathrooms should not face common areas such as a dining room and kitchens should open out to a dining or living room.

Consider size

Considered every area in your house carefully so that there is enough room to move around and complete desired activities. It sounds simple, however, this is one of the main areas that people forget to take into account. This is one of the benefits of choosing a home from a proven catalog of home designs — your rooms will be just the right size for your needs, and therefore highly functional.

Choosing the Right Floor Plan for Your Home 

Determine house size 

In some situations, the size of the house will be dependent on the restrictions of the lot. For example, a sloping lot restricts the size of a house that can be built on it. A common house design for a sloping lot is a single-story split-level home. If you have more space to work with, you should consider the needs of your family and your lifestyle. This will help determine your floor plan size and number of stories.

Lifestyle considerations 

This means considering the layout of rooms, size of rooms, and other specific requirements for your family. Don’t forget to think about your daily activities such as doing laundry and cleaning the house—do you want to walk up two flights of stairs to hang your washing?

Action Steps

Now you know exactly where to start whether you’re just shopping or are seriously interested in buying. Make a list of the topics mentioned about and really take some time to find out what you want. If you need insporation check out our home designs. If you need more assistance our new home consultants would be happy to help.

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For decades, the warm and familiar aesthetic of the farmhouses of old have stayed within the minds of American homebuilders – and there’s no sign of it slowing down! 

You guessed it, we’re talking about Modern Farmhouse style.

Maybe it’s the timeless sensibility, maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe it’s the rustic charm.

Or perhaps it’s a combination of all three, with a convenient connection to the stereotypically homely farm lifestyle. A contemporary and sleek feeling often shines through, combining to create an effortlessly fresh but familiar living scenario.

Say hello to Modern Farmhouse

Traditionally, our interpretation of the Farmhouse style was typified using classically rustic materials. Think of the classic visual of exposed timber beams, and pair with the contemporary design principles of clean lines and well-considered proportions. They combine the desirable aesthetic and feel of farmhouses with the practical hallmarks of contemporary home designs.

Perhaps the most recognizable feature of modern farmhouses are their great rooms, which combine the roles of a shared family room, kitchen and eating area into one communal space. Modern Farmhouse homes also often include elements such as large back porches, garages that are large enough for multiple vehicles and hearty fireplaces large enough to warm communal spaces.

These large estates will also often embrace the farmhouse lifestyle with expansive and bright interiors. They feature clean lines, pitched roofs that stretch high into the sky, large windows and authentic fittings that complement the home. 

The Modern Farmhouse Color palette

Farmhouse style is earmarked by a color palette that isn’t afraid to embrace familiar, natural tones. They often heavily feature white with grey, and black  accents, which pairs well with lighter colors that are more commonly identified as part of modern home design. Modern Farmhouse homes aren’t afraid to call back to their roots, incorporating earthen elements and hardy fixtures with the clean and minimalist contemporary design standards. 

Modern Farmhouse Design: Dogwood 2702

Take the Dogwood 2702 design, available from G.J. Gardner. The facade of this home combines recognizable farmhouse textures like wooden framing, with contemporary colors. It’s also clear to see where farmhouse influences shine through, with the tall roof, expansive rooms, and great room with a fireplace that effortlessly adjoins with the back porch.

Modern Farmhouse Texture

Natural materials will always be a mainstay of Modern Farmhouse design – think wood, stone and steel. You can incorporate these textures in spades throughout the home, from the exterior to the interior including furniture, surfaces and finishes. A popular choice is the addition of stone or rock applied as a statement finish in places such as the chimney, the fireplace or support columns.

The Modern Farmhouse style typically includes some of these popular exterior elements:

• Siding – White Board & Batten
• Roof – Black or grey in metal or shingle style
• Plan Footprint – usually simple square or rectangular shape
• Lighting – contemporary, black or antique bronze
• Windows – lots of windows throughout with black framing
• Covered Porches – with oversized openings and space to relax
• Gables & Roof Pitch – typically steeper pitched
• Garage Doors – Carriage-Style in white, wood, or black

The Interior Design of Modern Farmhouse plans typically include: 

• The design itself is simple, minimal and has large gathering spaces
• The color palette is neutral with whites and greys
• Lighting inside often is industrial style with black elements
• Natural wood and architectural elements – barn doors, wood floors, ship lap/wood panelling, timer beams, polished concrete are few common elements
• The kitchen truly is the heart of the home with large footprint and open to the living space – shaker-style cabinets, white marble or quartz counters, subway tile, oversized islands and open shelving are a few common elements

Finishing touches

The key to styling a Modern Farmhouse home is honoring the traditional approach using a contemporary and creative interpretation that befits modern life.

For example, you might love the idea of spending quality family time gathered in the great room, with a hearty fire crackling in the corner. Modernizing the space with comfortable furniture and minimalist fittings can help you to strike the perfect balance between farm living and the modern world.

Planning your Modern Farmhouse

Color, texture, and styling will get you 90% of the way there, but in order to really succeed you can’t consider these elements in isolation. You need to have a plan.

It sounds obvious, but taking the time to consider all the surfaces, finishes and inclusions across your home will help you achieve a cohesive Modern Farmhouse look.

Want to work with our design team to plan your dream home? Contact us.

Multigenerational households refer to homes where multiple generations of people live under one roof. This can simply be adult children living with their parents, through to the addition of grandparents and even great-grandparents. 

Intergenerational living is by no means a new concept, in fact it is a very traditional way of living and considered the norm in many cultures. For example, in Italy, more than 65% of people aged 18-34 live at home with their parents according to the latest data from Eurostat. Across the Middle East and Africa as well many young adults live with their parents since familial bonds are so highly valued. It is also customary in many of these cultures for young adults to live with their parents until they are ready for marriage. 

However, this is becoming an increasing trend in the USA also. With 20% (64 million) of all Americans, reported to be living in a multigenerational household. 

Familial traditions aren’t the only reason many cultures choose to embrace a multigenerational lifestyle. Financial practicality is another common reason, for example in one of the world’s most expensive cities of Hong Kong, where 76% of adults aged 18 to 35 live with their parents due to housing prices. 

So, what is influencing the influx here in America? 

An older population that is living longer alongside an economy that is requiring more than one person in the family to work full time, is fostering the need to support one another. The impact COVID-19 has had on the economy has pushed more families to stay living under one roof, not just in America but worldwide. This is happening since more young people are struggling to afford to leave home, alongside their grandparents who are perhaps experiencing similar financial stress. 

This being said, multigenerational housing was rising in America many years before COVID-19, and was initially influenced by immigration trends, with migrants over the past 5 years bringing many aspects of their lifestyle to America. This also means a trend can be seen for increased multigenerational living in California and Texas, since these cities are the most popular destinations for immigration. 

What Are the Pros & Cons of Multigenerational Living?

The encouragement of living situations shared between young and old is still relatively nascent in America, but it offers many great positive and practical outcomes. It can minimize segregation, stress, feelings of social isolation, all while encouraging social connection and wellbeing. 

The Pros of Multigenerational Living

Multigenerational housing can offer unique benefits to each generation involved. For older generations living with their children and grandchildren, the greatest benefit can be related to social isolation and healthy aging. Seniors who lead rich social lives are found time and time again to be healthier than those who live in isolation. This presents a societal challenge since it becomes more and more difficult to stay socially active as we age. 

Multigenerational housing provides daily interaction without having to leave the house or access a home visiting program. This not only benefits older generations but also young adults and adolescents who are observed to experience similar issues with isolation. Subjective loneliness tends to be high in adolescence and young adulthood, decline through middle age, then rise sharply again in old age, meaning pairing seniors with young adults in multigenerational households provides benefits to both parties.

Another substantial pro to multigenerational living arrangements is financial, both for aging citizens as well as young adults saving for their own home. Not only do many seniors prefer the idea of aging in their own home, but it can also be the more cost-effective solution by reducing costs associated with care facilities, in-home assistance programs, and unnecessary visits to the hospital. For young adults on the other hand, with such high rental prices, its it’s unsurprising that intergenerational living offers such an attractive alternative to the average rental costs. 

The Cons of Multigenerational Living

While living with your family for longer than completely necessary has its distinct advantages, there are also some cons that are worth considering. These downsides are often more related to lifestyle and are unique to each individual family dynamic. The most common issue for many adults living with family is the lessened degree of privacy. Multigenerational houses can also lead to legal complications in instances of disagreements. For example, when purchasing a home with family, but then having one party wish to sell or move elsewhere.

What Floor Plans Work Best for Multigenerational Living?

Multigenerational housing can be made significantly easier with the right home design and set up. Some home designs better lend themselves to this way of living, allowing for added separation and privacy. Some of the features that allow for a more pleasant living experience include multiple master bedrooms, larger kitchens and living rooms, or alternatively multiple living areas. 

Zone-style homes for private areas also allow for a higher degree of independence. This means choosing a floor plan that has different designated sections, for example, a “kid zone” where the kid’s bedrooms, a kid’s lounge room, and kid’s bathroom is all located with another area of the house where the master bedroom, additional lounge area, and main bathroom is situated.

Another solution can be choosing a floor plan with a finished basement or an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit)Finished basements are a popular house design feature in the USA, in particular. Enabling a separation of living zones within the house. This way you all can live on the same property without sharing all of the same general areas, allowing for a more independent lifestyle.

How Have Our Home Designs Changed to Meet the Demand?

At G.J. Gardner Homes, we have always offered personalised services to modify existing plans to suit any family situation, for example, adding granny flats for family members with differing requirements. This way, our home designs can meet more specific niches and be designed for specific client requirements. 

Home designs created specifically for intergenerational living will also be released in 2022. These home designs will include features such as two master suites on separate floors and large living spaces. This will allow for home designs that can suit any family’s unique needs and lifestyle. 

To discuss a home plan that perfectly suits your lifestyle or enquire about the best multigenerational homes America has to offer, contact your local G.J. Gardner US office today